Factors influencing hospital readmission rates after acute medical treatment
It is a concern that increasing pressure to diagnose, treat and discharge patients rapidly is leading to unacceptably high readmission rates. Readmissions were studied over a two-month period. Patients were identified through the hospital coding system, and electronic discharge summaries provided de...
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Published in | Clinical medicine (London, England) Vol. 9; no. 5; pp. 426 - 430 |
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Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
London
Elsevier Ltd
01.10.2009
Royal College of Physicians |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | It is a concern that increasing pressure to diagnose, treat and discharge patients rapidly is leading to unacceptably high readmission rates. Readmissions were studied over a two-month period. Patients were identified through the hospital coding system, and electronic discharge summaries provided details of each admission. In total, 69 readmissions were identified, representing 4.34% of medical admissions. Readmitted patients were older than those with single admissions (median age 75 and 71 years, respectively; p<0.05). Initial length of stay was greater in those patients who would go on to be readmitted (median six days; single admission, two days; p<0.0001). Seventy-one per cent of readmissions were deemed avoidable, with discharge before conclusive therapy being the leading factor implicated (56%). Readmission is more likely in older patients with complex care needs. Rapid throughput of patients is not associated with readmission. The majority of readmissions can potentially be avoided with judicious medical care. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Case Study-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-4 content type line 23 ObjectType-Report-1 ObjectType-Article-3 |
ISSN: | 1470-2118 1473-4893 |
DOI: | 10.7861/clinmedicine.9-5-426 |